Game



June 8, 1937." c.v F. sHAFFER GAME Filed March 28. 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet lV mi2 mlvnoM THIS PLAYER STA RTS GAME .INVENTOR .A T TORNEY June 8, 1937..` c. F. sHAFFER GAME Filed March 28. 1934 2 Sheets-Sheetv 2 soNans aaoM aos :nalsuodsax aaxvu sil-u WND( 10- f 'ma'.

.A T TORNEY THIS PLAYER STARTS GAME Imm .nl NYS /25 Patented June 8, 1937 y UNirEo stares vparlarvi"N OFFICE 2,082,983 GAME Cleve F. Shaffer, San Francisco, Calif.

Application March 28, 1934,- Serial No. 717,743

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in game apparatus and particularly apparatus for that class of games which are played upon a playing board in which there are means provided for indicating a definite sequence of plays to be made. Among the objects of the invention are to provide apparatus for a game, the playing of which involves the thought and skill of theplayer; to provide a game in which tokens are played upon a board according to a deiinite sequence of characters on an indicator of plays; to provide a game in which an indicator is employed having a denite sequence of symbols thereon continually visible to the players and in which the plays to be made are not dependent upon chance, such as the drawing of cards, the whirling of a spinner, or the casting of dice.

Among other objects are to provide, in combination with a game board, an indicator for playsto be made which is readily and easily visible to the players of the game and on which are a denite series of characters indicating the plays which must be made; to provide, in combination with such an indicator and game board, a mov- 5 able pointer or nger member by which the suc-l cessive plays of the players may be visibly indicated. Y

With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and size, number of parts and minor 35 oetails of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more clearly comprehend the invention ref- 40 erence is directed to the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. l is a perspective oi a game board. Fig. 2 is a perspective of an indicator ior plays. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line III-III 45 of Fig. 5. g

Fig. 4 is a perspective oi pointer or iinger member shown mounted on the indicator of Figs. 3 and 5.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of indicator device iwith 50 the pointer or :linger of Fig. 4 mounted thereon. Fig..6 is a perspective of one type of playing token.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of another typeof playing token. y 5,5 Fig. 8 is a perspective of the game board of Fig.V

1 with playing tokens thereon indicating the manner of play.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts,

l indicates generally a game board, preferably 5 square and which may be provided of any desired thickness and preferably formed of such material as to form a rigid playing body which may be, if desired, divided into two parts and have foldable connection in any suitable well-known manner 1o along line`2. The board is divided into sections 3, preferably rectangular as shown, separated by distinctly marked lines 4 on the playing face of the board. A starting point 5 is provided on the face of the board, preferably centrally thereof in one 15 of the sections 3, and other of the sectionsl are indicated as ports 6 which it is the object to reach bythe playing of the game. Preferably, the ports 8, when reached or captured during the playing of the game, have varying numerical values relative to each other, and if desired each port may have a plurality of values, one value which will apply uniformly to each and all of the ports alike and another value which may be arbitrarily indicated for that particular port as instanced by the numerals indicated 'l in the perspective ports of Fig. 1..

Around the margin of the playing board are printed instructions prescribing duties for each particular player, these instructions being indicated at 8a, 8b, 8, and 8d, and one instruction bearing the notation that the board shall be turned to the left after each game so that the Various prescribed duties shall be changed from player to player after each game. Playing pieces or tokens as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are provided and are of different types or characteristics and as herein exemplified consist of the plain or ordinary tokens 9, and special or symbol tokens l0, the special or symbol tokens, l0, having a W imprinted thereon, by way of example and not by way of limitation to that particular symbol which is employed in this example to correspond with the word wolf on an indicator to be hereafter Y described; likewise, the plain or ordinary tokens 9 which do not bear special distinguishing matter correspond to all other characters on the indicator which do not correspond with the special or symbol tokens. The tokensl or playing pieces are tokens there are plain or ordinary tokens and special or symbol tokens. It has been found from experience that twenty of the ordinary tokens [and iive of the symbol tokens are suicient for each player, but with variations of the game other numbers of tokens may be employed.

An indicator, generally indicate-d I I, is provided, and as herein exempliiied, comprises a novel elon- Vgated structure triangular in vertical cross-sec'- tion and provided with a bottom-i2, a rear wall I3,

and front wall I4, th'jeV indicator structure preferably being formed of semi-rigid material and foldedupon itself to a triangular shape in vertical cross-section with a lip or flap I5 which is a continuation of the front wall bent over and adhering to the rear wall I3 providing a ridge or shoulder IB of the thickness of the material. This structure provides an-i-ndicator having a front or view face of thefront wall I4 readily and easily visible to each of the players, it being intended.l that the indicator may be placedV adjacent the playing board On the face of the front wall, I4, of the indicator I I there are provided a certain denite sequence of characters of any suitable type, and preferably of some'f easily remembered well-known slogan -or'lines of a poem, though other characters may be used such as names of flowers and the like. In thepresent instance, and

by'way of example merely, thecharacters employed on 'the face or front wall I4 are Nobody cares for the mean old wolf, mean old wolf, mean old wolf, the characters being preferably separated into sections with one character in each section; and, as indicated at I'I, these'characters may be repeated on the rear or reverse face of the indicator as indicated at I8 for convenience of the player who manipulates a pointer or nger member I9 which is adapted to slide along the top ofthe indicatory and which is here shown as an angle member having a face wall 20, a rear wall 2I,and an inwardly turned ange 22, the latter ofvwhich V-being'adapted to slidably engage the shoulder IS whenr the pointer? I9 ismounted upon the indicator II; "Preferably the pointer YI9 is of 1 slightly Yresilient material so vas toiorm a fricuniformity of color, are givenV to each. player and the pointer i9 is placed over the rst section of the indicator as shown at 23; The player at the legend 8a starts the play and he has the option of playing a predetermined definite maximum number'of characters on the indicator. For example, if the rules of playing provide that the predetermined maximumnumber of plays should bethree, this playerr may play the rst three words nobody cares for but he has theV option of playing any less number than three if he sodesireS. For instance, having elected toplay two characters orwords he places an ordinary token Y alV at the starting section 5 and inthe next adjoining section, as at d2. The playerat the legend 8c would manipulate the pointer AI9. upto the Y word, for so that the next player in turn, preferably tothe leit of the original player, wouldv then have theopportunity to play the next three successive words,"i`or the mean, and heelects to play all three of the words by the ordinary tokens bi1, b2, and b3. The pointer I9 is then moved up to the word old and the next player in turn has the option of playing the three words old wolf mean, and since it is an object to retain the special or symbol tokens, this pla-yer elects to play only one token and places it at c1- pointer i9 is then moved up to the word wolf and this symbol corresponds with the character on the special or symbol tokens so that the player is not allowed to play an ordinary token but mustV play one of the special or symbol tokens I0 which he plays at d1, and in addition he elects to play the two additional words mean old which he plays at d2 and d3. 'Ihe pointer is then moved up to the second occurrence of the word wolf and the next player is required to play a special or symbol token, and since it is again the turn of `the first player he plays his special or symbol token at a3. The play is continuous in adjoining sections of the board, but the direction of the line of play may be turned so as to provide a corner, but after the direction of the line of play has been turned, the corner cannot receive additional playsin other directions, unless that corner happens to be'a special or symbol token in which event the play may be continued therefrom in any direction. For a better understanding of the game the corners in Fig. 8 have been indicated by the legend corner.

The object of the game is to capture the ports 6 on any side of the board other than that adjacent the player, the ports having two separate and distinct values. forl one or the rst of the values the player must play a symbol token at the door of the port as at c2 and at D12; but to capture the port for its other or second value, the player must meet the requirements of that particular port indicated thereon, as by the legend 24. It may happen that in order to prevent an opponent from gaining the rst value, a player has played an ordinary token at the door of the port as indicated a6 at port Z, in which event that port is blockaded so far as the first value is concerned, but may be won for its second value by a player who meetsthe requirement 24 of that port. To meet Vthe requirement of the port, a player must have the nearest symbol token to the port door and have sulicient additional tokens, either symbol tokens or ordinary tokens, in the line of sections leading to the door of that port to meet the requirements of that port, the requirements for capture of the port being indicated on the port itself, as .by the legends 2li. For example, in the portY marked X in Fig. 8 the directions at the port are that it requires a wolf and four buffs and puis, the wolf being represented by the symbol token W and the huifs and puits being represented by the ordinary tokens. Since the ordinary tokens, bs, b9, blo, Z711, and symbol token Z712 have all been played by the same player,that player has won the port X for both its Values since he wins one'of its values for playing the symbol token W at the door of the port, and he wins its other value, indicated 30, by meeting the requirements of the port of having one symbol token b12 nearest the door of the port and four ordinary tokens, Z711, Z110, b9, and ha, in the line of the door of'that port, the requirement of the port being a Wolf and four huiis and puits. On the other hand, to-take port the playerC, by playing the symb-ol token c2 has won the port for one of its values but has failed to win the port In order to capture the port TheV CIK

for its other value, indicated as 5, because he has not met the requirements of that port of having a symbol or wolf token and two ordinary tokens or huff and pull tokens in the line to the door of that port, his only ordinary token being the one indicated c1.

Various forfeitures may be invoked according to the rules of the game which arise from failure to follow certain plays or from failure to call a certain pre-determined word when a symbol token of an opponent is placed neXt to an ordinary token of a respective player, and while the causes of forfeiture are important in the playing of the game, they reside in the rules which may be changed from time to time and do not depend upon the structural elements of the game.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the essential characteristics of the game may be understood by those skilled in the art, and that it will be understood that the playing of the game does not at any stage involve the element of chance such as the use of cards, spinners, or dice, and that a visible indicator having a deflnite series of characters thereon, in combination with two types of playing tokens, one type corresponding to one of the characters which must be played when that character is reached in its sequence on the indicator, and the other type of tokens being optionally playable in the sequence of the other characters on the indicator, constitutes a novel game involving advance thought wherein plays may be planned considerably in advance of the actual play, and produces a game which is broadly new and novel and of a scientic nature.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent iszl. A game apparatus comprising a four-sided playing board having its playing face divided throughout its area into sections for receiving playing tokens, a plurality of series of playing tokens, each series containing a plurality of types of tokens and an indicator having a denite series of continually visible characters thereon, said definite series of characters on the indicator having a portion of the characters thereof corresponding to one type of playing tokens, and another portion of its characters corresponding to another type of the playing tokens, said playing board including a central indicated section of starting the play of tokens and having sections indicated as ports in the outer marginal series of sections on each side of the board, each of said marginal ports being divided into two sections, one of said sections of each port corresponding with the symbol tokens and the other section of each port corresponding to the ordinary tokens, the latter section of each port having indicated thereon a scoring value.

2. In a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens, each series containing symbol tokens and ordinary tokens and employing an indicator having a definite series oi continually visible characters thereon and wherein a portion of thevisible characters on the indicator corresponds to symbol tokens and a portion of the said characters corresponds to the ordinary tokens, a playing board having a plurality of marginal sides and having its playing face divided into sections for receiving playing tokens and having a centrally positioned section indicated as a point of starting a play of tokens, said playing board including a port in the outer marginal series of playing sections on each marginal side of `the board, each of said marginal ports being divided into two sections, one of said sections of each port corresponding with the symbol tokens and the other sectionof each port corresponding to the ordinary tokens, the latter section of each port having indicated thereon a scoring value.

3. In a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens in which each series of tokens comprises symbol tokens and ordinary tokens, a playing board having a plurality of marginal sides and having its playing face divided into sections for receiving playing tokens and having a centrally positioned section indicated as a point of starting the play of tokens, said playing board including a port in the outer marginal series of playing sections of each marginal side of the board to be reached by successive playing of tokens on the board, each of said marginal ports being divided into two sections, one of said sections of each port corresponding with the symbol tokens, and the other section of each port corresponding to the ordinary tokens, the latter section of each port having indicated thereon a scoring value.

4. In a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens in which each series of tokens comprises symbol tokens and ordinary tokens to be played upon a playing board having a plurality of marginal sides and having its playing face divided into sections for receiving playing tokens, and having a centrally positioned section indicated as a point of starting the play of tokens, and having a port in the outer marginal series of playing sections of each marginal side of the board, an indicator device having a definite and unchanging series of continually visible characters thereon, said derlnite series of characters on the indicator having a portion of the characters corresponding to one type of p-laying tokens, and another portion of its characters corresponding to another type of playing tokens.

5. In a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens in which each series of tokens comprises symbol tokens and ordinary tokens to be played upon a playing board having a plurality of marginal sides and having its playing face divided into sections for receiving playing tokens, and having a centrally positioned section indicated as a point of starting the play of tokens and having a port in the outer marginal series of playing sections of each marginal side of the board, an elongated indicator device provided with an upstanding face having thereon a denite and unchanging series of continually visible characters, said definite series of characters on the indicator having a portion of the characters corresponding to one type of playing tokens and another portion of its characters corresponding to another type of playing tokens.

6. In a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens in which each series of tokens comprises symbol tokens and ordinary tokens toI be played upon a playing board having a plurality of marginal sides and having its playing face divided into sections for receiving playing tokens and having a centrally positioned section indicated as a point of starting the play of tokens and having a port in the outer marginal series of playing sections of each marginal side of the board, an indicator device having a denite and unchanging series of continually visible characters thereon, said definite series of characters on the indicator having a portion of the characters corresponding to one type of Vplaying tokens and another portion of its characters corresponding to another type of playing tokens, and a pointer member slidably mounted on said indicator device and adapted for manipulation longitudinally thereof..

7. In apparatus forrplaying a game which employs in the playing thereof a plurality of series of playing tokens in which each series of tokens comprises symbol tokens and ordinary tokens, an indicator device comprising an elongated structure having a face upstanding from the base thereof, said face having thereon a definite and unchanging series of continually visible characters, said denite series of characters on the indicator having a portion ofthe characters corresponding to one type of playing tokens and another portion of its characters corresponding to another type of playing tokens,V and a pointer member slidably `mounted on said indicator device and adapted for manipulation longitudinally of the upstanding face thereof.

CLEVE F. SHAFFER. 

